Lesson 2. Finding the Stats
The Census
Results of the Census are made available to the public on the Statistics Canada website. On this website you can access the Census statistics and read reports which analyze the statistics and present information on trends in key issues.
A vast quantity of statistics are made available through the Census website which can be searched in a variety of ways. In this lesson you will become familiar with some of the major Census search tools and publications to access demographic information about the Canadian population.
Census Publications – Analyses series
If you are looking for demographic information on a large location such as a province or major city, it is often easier to search for published articles rather than specific data. The Analyses Series is a collection of articles which analyze and present information on the major statistical trends on key issues facing the Canadian population. Written by Statistics Canada, the 14 publications in the Analyses Series provide an analytical perspective on the following topics:
Aboriginal peoples
Age and sex
Education
Ethnic origin and visible minorities
Families and households
Housing and shelter costs
Immigration and citizenshipIncome and earnings
Labour
Language
Languages at work
Mobility and migration
Place of work and commuting to work
Population and dwelling countsProfiles
The Profiles (Community and Census Tract) provide easy access to set categories of census information. If you are looking for a general overview of the demographics of a specific city or region, these are a good place to start.
Community Profiles
Community Profiles provide specific demographic information on a variety of geographic units including cities, communities, counties and metropolitan areas.
The community profiles are broken down into a variety of regions or geographic units . It is important to be aware of the exact boundaries of the region in your search. A region or geographic unit can include a city or regional municipality, a region specific to the census such as a census metropolitan area (CMA), census ammalgamation (CA) or a health region.
For example, a search for the placename, Waterloo, will result in the following list of geographic units:
- Waterloo, Ontario (City)
- Waterloo, Ontario (Regional municipality)
- Waterloo Health Unit, Ontario (Health Region)
- Waterloo Wellington Health Integration network, Ontario (Health Region)
Census Tract Profiles
Big cities can have large demographic changes from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, ex., high and low income areas, cultural differences, etc. The Census Tract Profiles provide demographic information specific to certain neighbourhoods in a larger city.
Large metropolitan areas (population > 50 000) are broken down into smaller units called census tracts (population between 2,500 to 8,000). The simplest way to locate information for a particular census tract is to search by postal code. You can also search by an interactive map (GeoSearch 2006) or census tract name, if known.
Other tools to access Census statistics
Often, you will need to find statistics on a more detailed level than what the Profiles can provide. The Census website has many other products and tools which the general public can use to locate Census statistics including:
- Highlight tables and topic based tabulations which summarize a variety of key topics for various levels of geography in table format
- GeoSearch 2006, an interactive map which can be used to locate census data
Another option for University of Waterloo students is the Electronic Data Service (EDS). This service provides access to all Statistics Canada data as well as other statistical sources. We will not be looking at the content or searching capabilities of this service however you should be aware that this service is available if you need more detailed statistical information.